November 07, 2005

Cold Fusion Redux?

It seems too good to be
true: a new source of near-limitless power that costs virtually
nothing, uses tiny amounts of water as its fuel and produces next to no
waste. If that does not sound radical enough, how about this: the
principle behind the source turns modern physics on its head.

Randell
Mills, a Harvard University medic who also studied electrical
engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, claims to have
built a prototype power source that generates up to 1,000 times more
heat than conventional fuel. Independent scientists claim to have
verified the experiments and Dr Mills says that his company, Blacklight
Power, has tens of millions of dollars in investment lined up to bring
the idea to market. And he claims to be just months away from unveiling
his creation.

As someone who lost their innocence with the cold fusion announcement, ("Why would they lie?" I asked.), announcements like this, while intriguing, also activate my skeptics radar. This story seems different as it does have some peer review backing it up.

As someone who believes that technology will continue to keep pace with our needs, I find myself Wanting To Believe. The next discovery that will solve the world's fuel problems is always just around the corner, and usually not the corner we expect to be hiding it. Could this be the one? Only time will tell.